Eleven strains of lactobacilli were screened for their bile salt deconjugation ability, bile salt hydrolase activity (BSH) and coprecipitation of cholesterol with deconjugated bile. Bile salt deconjugation as determined by the release of cholic acid showed that
more cholic acid was liberated from the deconjugation of sodium glycocholate than sodium taurocholate, and Lactobacillus
acidophilus strains had higher deconjugation ability than L. casei strains. BSH activity, as quantified by the amount of taurine or
glycine liberated from conjugated bile salts, indicated that substrate specificity was more towards glycine-conjugated bile compared
to taurine-conjugated bile. Co-precipitation of cholesterol with cholic acid was observed from deconjugation of both conjugated
bile, with more cholesterol being precipitated upon deconjugation of sodium glycocholate than upon that of sodium taurocholate.
Cholesterol co-precipitation with deconjugated bile increased with decreasing pH. L. acidophilus ATCC 33200, 4356 and 4962 and
L. casei ASCC 1521 showed highest deconjugation ability and BSH activity towards bile mixtures that resemble the human bile, and
may be promising candidates to exert beneficial bile deconjugation activity in vivo.